On day six of the election campaign, Conservative leader Éric Duhaime launched a new call for calm on Friday to supporters of all parties, “including the Conservatives”. He refuses to let his opponents “pass him off as a scapegoat” poisoning the political climate.
Passing through Lachute, in the Laurentians, the aspiring Prime Minister repeated under a scorching sun his message condemning the violence. Even if the announcement of the day was about opening up to private health, Mr. Duhaime made a point of recalling in his speech that he was a pacifist and “always has been”.
“I think that the presence of the Conservative Party of Quebec (PCQ) in this election is a good sign for democracy,” argued Mr. Duhaime in English. “If we weren’t here, it would be much worse. He believes that the election campaign is a “privileged moment” to express his discontent in a peaceful way, by going to vote.
On Thursday, Liberal candidate Marwah Rizqy criticized the Conservative leader for harming democratic debate by wanting to “bring discontent” into the National Assembly. On Wednesday, she revealed that she had received death threats.
There is “no link” between this event and the PCQ, said Éric Duhaime, in front of the Lachute hospital. “Before accusing someone, you have to have proof. I would never do that. » Mme Rizqy has “crossed a line”, he repeated.
Québec solidaire (QS) spokesperson Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois finds ironic the PCQ leader’s tendency to accuse other politicians of going too far. “I think the Duhaime team is crossing a lot of lines these days, and that Mr. Duhaime would benefit from not throwing rocks, considering the glass house he lives in,” he has since pointed out. Gaspe.
“The only good side of these controversies, in the last days, is that Quebecers are beginning to discover the true face of the Duhaime team,” he added.
No change in tone, according to Duhaime
In recent days, Éric Duhaime has been the subject of criticism in the media accusing him of fueling “the discontent”. Asked whether this explains his decision to include Conservative sympathizers in his appeal for calm on Friday, he denied any “change in tone”. It is “the third consecutive time [que j’appelle au calme] “, he underlined.
The Conservative leader said he sent a notice to all his candidates on Friday, as he does regularly, to urge them to stay out of “one-upmanship in this regard”.
Mr. Duhaime recalled that he was a fervent defender of “freedom of expression”. But the line of violence is the one not to cross, he said. “I’m not saying that all opinions are equal,” continued the Conservative leader. “I say that all opinions can be expressed, as long as there is no violence behind it. »